Why Is She So Absorbed?
by Fancharacters-Equal-Fun
Summary: An apprentice comes to Kari, and is strangely interested in the workings of neggs. Kari POV. Bad at summaries, apologies o.o' One-shot.


**Author's Note:** Well hi there, random reader! Have a story that took me approximately 2 hours to write. 8D (/random fact)

Sliiiiightly cheesy, maybe? I don't really know for once o-o''

COPYRIGHT THINGYS: I don't own Kari, or her apprentice, or anything else relating to Neopets, or Neopets itself. I do have a nice set of Neopets cards at my house, but still that doesn't count.

* * *

><p>I'm Kari, the Negg Faerie, and I really want to focus right now. I'm at the front of my store, tending to my precious neggs. What, I don't do this often? Crazy talk! You can't just <em>grow<em> them, you know; rainbow neggs in particular need only Rainbow Fountain Water or they lose their color, and sometimes you have to change the soil or they-

My thoughts are cut off by the sound of a door and the tinkle of a small bell. Sighing, my train of thought broken, I turn to see a young faerie before me. She looks different from most; her hair a shade of Juppieswirl and her wings a simple shape. I can tell she's destined to be a Rare Faerie already.

"Hi there!" I say, pulling up a bright face. I really am happy, for I don't get many faerie shoppers. She smiles back lightly. "What are you looking for today, sweetie?"

Her answer caught me slightly off guard, though she seemed to already be that way. "Um… I'm in the Faerie Academy right now, and they said I needed to find an apprenticeship…" I try to hide my slight shock behind my smile; she wants _me?_ "Everyone does. I had a hard time finding mine," I say, with a slight chuckle.

She keeps going, obviously shy, stuttering every so often in an attempt to bring her words together. "W-well, I thought about who to come to, and I realized I didn't want to go somewhere popular, because then, you see, there'd be lots of people… so, um… I wanted to ask you…?" She trails off, as though she's afraid of finishing the question, afraid of me saying no.

"Of course you can!" I reply quickly. I'm just as happy as she is about the prospect! She flicks her head up, an – almost – look of shock on her face, mixed with clear happiness.

"You- you mean it? I can?" she says quickly.

"I said of course, didn't I? Come on, I'll show you around the shop," I say, giving her a wink of reassurance. Thankfully, she catches it, and seems to visibly relax as I give her the grand tour. She even starts to ooh and aah in the greenhouse! It's really quite surprising, and I have to ask myself… why is she so absorbed?

She catches on so fast.

"_So you water the Happy Neggs carefully! Don't let them become Angel Neggs!"_

"_I got it! I won't let you down!"_

Any mistakes she made were brief and humorous. Just the way an apprenticeship should be.

"_Um… the Rainbow Negg tree just turned purple…"_

"… _Purple?"_

"_I think you might need to come see this one…"_

The way I kind of wish mine had been, come to think of it. How does she learn so quickly?

"_Oh, so if you give the Cool Neggs Rainbow Fountain Water then they become Kaleidoneggs?"_

"_Yes! Which I do, sometimes. They're just so pretty…"_

"_What do they taste like?"_

"_I don't know, actually. Only the pets eat them!"_

I even left her in charge for the Faerie Festival. She did perfectly.

"_You're back!"_

"_And the shop hasn't fallen to pieces! It looks like you've done a wonderful job in here… including, apparently, painting."_

"_I was hoping you'd like it!"_

And yet here I am. Teaching her things that she'll never have to know. Well, except for the few times the Faerie Crossword is Negg themed.

"_Hey, what's the secret behind the Vortex Neggs?"_

"_Formula made of a few drops of Rainbow Fountain Water, a few drops of Kaleida Extract, and a whole lot of pruning."_

"_Pruning? Why would that help?"_

"_Turns out they only grow in a certain formation…"_

Why is she staying? The apprenticeship ends soon, her studies and transformation end soon, yet she hasn't shown any signs of changing appearance. What's going to happen? Why is she so… absorbed?

I wake up late. Still yawning, I head down the stairs to find her already awake and watering, measuring droplets with her other arm, muttering formulas under her breath by memory. I can't help but watch her for a moment, knowing this is the last day she'll be here. I do need to tell her I'm here, though; it's a little rude to just stare!

"Hey there, you," I say, trying not to startle her. It works; she jumps only minutely before seeing me.

"Oh, hi! I saw you were still asleep when I woke up so I didn't want to wake you… uh… sorry!" She's clearly trying to balance everything in her hands _and_ talk, which isn't working. I walk over and grab the watering can, giving her a chance to get everything else.

"I don't mind; I apparently needed sleep!" I mention. "Today's your last day at the Academy, right?"

"Yup!" she says cheerfully. "I'm finally out of there! Wait, I mean-"

I cut her off. "No, no, I felt that way too!" We laugh as we care for the neggs; it's wonderful to have a partner, really. I wish she could stay… "I wish you could stay." Wait. Did I just say that out loud? I turn around and she's staring straight at me; oh joy, I did.

"I found out something yesterday, actually," she says casually. I nod my head in recognition – I _am _listening, after all - as I turn back to the neggs. She continues. "I was wondering why I hadn't changed appearance any, so I did some looking around in the library." She'd noticed too, then. "It turns out that some faeries don't ever change appearances. It's more likely to happen if they choose an apprenticeship from the same type of faerie as they will be."

Well, okay that seems likely- wait. Did she just say, "same type of faerie?" Does this mean…? I turn around and meet her gaze again; she's proud, smiling with her thoughts. "I asked a few people to check, and that book was right. I'm a Negg Faerie like you, Kari!" Her voice rises on the last few words, she can't control herself. Neither can I, as I run to her – well, okay, set the watering can down _then_ run to her – and wrap her in a hug.

"I am so- I just- you!" I stutter out, as she hugs me back tightly.

"This is really all I've ever wanted to know!" she replies. "I've always loved neggs. I've always wanted to be your apprentice. I enjoyed every second. And now I get to stay! Kari, this is the best day ever!" She's known all along that I loved having her here. And now she's not going to leave. She's just as happy as I am about all of this!

I'm Kari, a Negg Faerie, and I run a place called the Neggery in the Ice Caves of Terror Mountain. I've got a younger counterpart, who aids me in everything I do; she's more excited about it than I am, sometimes! We get a lot of customers, and sometimes when they're confronted with her enthusiasm, I can see a question forming in their eyes.

And that's when I can smile, knowing I know exactly why she is so absorbed.


End file.
